LED Strip Lumens Chart: How Bright Each Strip Is and How Many Lumens per Foot You Need

When you choose LED strip lights, one question comes up again and again:

How bright should the strip be, and how do I compare brightness between different models or brands?

The fastest way to answer that is to look at a LED strip lumens chart—and more specifically at lumens per foot (or lumens per metre). This article is your guide to reading that chart, understanding what “bright” means in real numbers, and deciding how many lumens per foot you actually need for your project.

What a LED strip lumens chart is and why lumens per foot matter

A LED strip lumens chart is simply a comparison table that lists several LED strip types or product families and shows their brightness in a consistent way—typically:

• Lumens per foot (lm/ft) or lumens per metre (lm/m)
• Watts per metre (W/m) or watts per foot
• Approximate efficacy (lm/W)
• Sometimes colour temperature (CCT), CRI, and basic notes about applications

The most important value in that chart is almost always lumens per foot (or per metre).

Why lumens per foot?

• It normalises brightness by length, so you can compare a 3 m strip and a 10 m strip fairly.
• It avoids being misled by total lumens for a long reel or by high wattage without knowing how efficiently that power becomes light.
• It gives you a direct way to match strip output to real-world needs—like “under-cabinet” or “signage” levels.

When you scan a lumens chart, think in this order:

1. Lumens per foot – how bright is this strip if I use one foot of it?
2. Watts per metre and efficacy – how much power does it draw and how efficient is it?
3. CCT / CRI / construction – how will the light look and feel?

We’ll use that structure throughout this guide.

Typical lumens-per-foot ranges and brightness bands for LED strip lights

There is no single “correct” lumen level for every project. Instead, it’s helpful to think in brightness bands, each with a rough lumens-per-foot range:

• Low-output (accent / mood):
  ≈ 100–200 lm/ft (≈ 300–650 lm/m)
  Gentle glow for coves, toe-kicks, backlighting and decorative lines.
• Medium-output (general / under-cabinet):
  ≈ 200–350 lm/ft (≈ 650–1150 lm/m)
  Clearly visible, suitable for most under-cabinet, shelf and general accent uses.
• High-output (task / commercial):
  ≈ 350–500+ lm/ft (≈ 1150–1650+ lm/m)
  Very bright, used for task lighting, retail displays, signage, or spaces with high ambient light.

These bands are guidelines, not strict standards, but they give you a useful mental map:

• If you just want a pleasant glow in a living room cove, 100–200 lm/ft is usually enough.
• If you want your kitchen counter to be clearly lit while chopping vegetables, 250–350 lm/ft is more appropriate.
• If you are lighting a retail sign or a workbench with strong ambient light, you may need 350–500+ lm/ft.

Is 450 lumens per foot considered very bright?

Yes—around 450 lumens per foot is firmly in the high-output band for LED strip lights. At that level, strips are typically used for:

• Task lighting where you need strong, even light on work surfaces
• Bright retail and signage applications where you’re competing with daylight
• Installations with greater distance between the strip and the lit surface

For soft accent or mood lighting, 450 lm/ft is often too intense and may create glare unless you dim it down or use very diffuse optics. It is perfectly fine to overspec brightness and rely on dimming, but remember that higher-output strips draw more power and may need more careful thermal management.

Lumens per foot by application: accent, under-cabinet, task, indirect and signage

Now let’s tie those brightness bands to real use-cases. These ranges are typical starting points—we assume good-quality strips and reasonably reflective surfaces.

These bands help you map from “what am I lighting?” to “which rows in the lumens chart fit?”.

Default lumens-per-foot recommendations if you are not sure

If you don’t have detailed lighting targets or experience, a good default range for many general-purpose LED strip applications is:

≈150–250 lumens per foot

That band tends to be:

• Bright enough for most accent and under-cabinet applications
• Comfortable in many living and light commercial spaces
• Easy to tune with dimming—you can always dim down if it feels too bright

You might move toward the lower end of this band for light-coloured, reflective surfaces or cosy moods, and toward the upper end for darker finishes or when the strip is further from the surface being lit.

Calculating and estimating lumens per foot from manufacturer specs

Not every manufacturer provides lumens per foot directly. Sometimes you only get lumens per metre or total lumens for a reel. In other cases, you might know only watts per metre and efficacy (lm/W).

Here’s how to handle these situations.

From lumens per metre or total lumens to lumens per foot

The simplest cases:

• If you have lumens per metre (lm/m):
  lumens_per_foot ≈ lumens_per_metre ÷ 3.28
• If you have total lumens and total length in feet:
  lumens_per_foot = total_lumens ÷ length_in_feet

Example – converting lm/m to lm/ft

• A strip is specified at 900 lm/m.
• Divide by 3.28: 900 ÷ 3.28 ≈ 274 lm/ft.
• That puts this strip in the upper medium-output band (good for under-cabinet task or bright accent lighting).

Example – using total lumens

• A 5 m reel claims 4500 lumens total.
• 5 m is about 16.4 ft.
• 4500 ÷ 16.4 ≈ 274 lm/ft – you get the same result once you normalise by length.

Estimating lumens per foot from power and efficacy

If the manufacturer only gives power per metre (W/m) and an approximate efficacy, you can estimate lumens per foot:

1. Estimate lumens per metre:
   lumens_per_metre ≈ watts_per_metre × efficacy (lm/W)
2. Convert to lumens per foot:
   lumens_per_foot ≈ lumens_per_metre ÷ 3.28

Example – using W/m and efficacy

• A strip is rated at 14 W/m and you assume about 100 lm/W.
• Estimated lumens_per_metre ≈ 14 × 100 = 1400 lm/m.
• 1400 ÷ 3.28 ≈ 427 lm/ft, which sits in the high-output band.

This is an estimate, not a lab measurement. Different CCTs, LED types and optics will change the true number, but it’s accurate enough to decide which brightness band a strip belongs to and which rows of the lumens chart to look at.

Using lumens per square foot to design room lighting with LED strips

Sometimes you’re not just lighting one shelf—you’re contributing to the lighting level of a whole room or area. In that case, you can start from lumens per square foot (lm/ft²).

Typical guideline ranges (not codes, just common design practice):

• Living rooms / lounges: ~10–20 lm/ft² (ambient)
• Kitchens / worktops: ~30–50 lm/ft² in task areas
• Home offices / desks: ~30–50 lm/ft²
• Corridors / circulation: ~5–15 lm/ft²

You don’t have to supply all of that with strips—but you can work out how much the strips contribute.

Worked example: from room area to lumens per foot and strip length

Suppose you want to add under-cabinet lighting to a 10 ft long kitchen counter and you’d like bright task lighting on the work surface.

1. Decide your target lumens per foot for the application.
   From the earlier table, under-cabinet task lighting might need 250–350 lm/ft.
   You choose 300 lm/ft as a target.
2. Calculate total lumens from the strips.
   10 ft × 300 lm/ft = 3000 lumens from the under-cabinet strips.
3. Check whether that meets your task lighting expectations.
   For a 10 ft by 2 ft counter area, that’s 20 ft².
   3000 lumens ÷ 20 ft² = 150 lm/ft² over that counter area.
   That’s more than enough for high-quality task lighting; you can dim down for comfort.
4. Use the chart to pick a strip.
   You scan the lumens chart and find a strip rated around 280–320 lm/ft.
   That strip fits your band and application; you size the driver and thermal design accordingly.

The same logic can apply to ceiling coves, stair lighting, or any other area where LED strips supply part or all of the required lumens.

Comparing the brightest LED strips across brands using the lumens chart

“Which LED strip is the brightest?” is a common question—but the answer is only meaningful if we define how we measure brightness.

Focus on these metrics in your lumens chart:

1. Lumens per foot – primary brightness measure.
2. Watts per metre (W/m) – power density.
3. Efficacy (lm/W) – brightness per watt.
4. LED density (LEDs/m) – pattern uniformity and potential hotspots.

A simple comparison process

When comparing strips from different brands:

1. Filter by application band first.
   Choose a lumens-per-foot band that matches your application (e.g. 250–350 lm/ft for under-cabinet task).
   Ignore strips far outside that range unless你 plan heavy dimming.
2. Within that band, compare efficacy.
   For strips around 300 lm/ft, see which one achieves that with lower W/m and higher lm/W.
   Higher efficacy means less power and heat for the same brightness.
3. Check density and construction.
   Compare LEDs per metre and whether the strip uses standard SMD or COB construction.
   Higher density and COB designs can look more uniform and comfortable at the same lumen level.
4. Consider thermal and mechanical design.
   Very high-output strips may require better heat-sinking profiles and more careful installation.
   If in doubt, choose a slightly lower-output strip or plan for robust mounting and dimming.

This approach lets you talk about “brightest” strips in a quantitative, brand-agnostic way, rather than relying on marketing labels.

Beyond lumens per foot: density, optics, mounting, colour temperature and CRI

Two LED strips with the same lumens per foot can look completely different in practice. That’s因为 perception and quality factors matter as much as the number on the spec sheet.

LED density, profiles and mounting height

Key points:

• LED density (LEDs per metre):
  Higher density reduces visible “dots” and creates a continuous line of light.
  At the same lumens/ft, higher density spreads the output over more emitters, often feeling smoother and more premium.
• Profiles and diffusers:
  Clear covers deliver maximum punch but can show hot spots.
  Opal or frosted diffusers soften the light and hide dots, but may reduce apparent brightness slightly.
• Mounting height and distance:
  Strips mounted higher or further from the surface spread light over a larger area, reducing illuminance but often improving uniformity.
  Strips mounted very close to surfaces can create bright streaks or glare if not diffused.

Colour temperature, CRI and how brightness feels

Colour and colour rendering change how bright a given lumen level feels:

• Cooler colour temperatures (e.g. 4000–5000K) often feel brighter and more energising than warm white (2700–3000K) at the same lumens.
• High CRI (e.g. 90+) can make spaces feel more natural and comfortable, even at slightly lower lumen levels, because colours look “right”.

Practical takeaways:

• In living rooms and hospitality spaces, you might choose warm CCT with good CRI and accept slightly fewer lumens per foot for a more relaxed feel.
• In task-oriented or retail spaces, cooler CCT and higher lumens per foot may be appropriate—but still balance this with glare and comfort.

Lumens per foot is your starting point, but CCT and CRI finish the picture.

Common mistakes and quick rules-of-thumb when using a LED strip lumens chart

To wrap up, here are some mistakes to avoid—and some simple rules you can keep in your head.

Common mistakes

• Comparing strips by watts or LED count only, without looking at lumens per foot.
• Mixing units (lm/ft, lm/m, lm/ft²) without converting, leading to wrong conclusions.
• Choosing a strip that is much too bright for a small or cosy space, then never dimming it properly.
• Ignoring density, optics and mounting, expecting equal lumens per foot to always look identical.
• Forgetting about driver sizing and thermal management when picking very high-output strips.

Quick rules-of-thumb

• Think in bands, not single numbers:
  ~100–200 lm/ft → accent / mood.
  ~200–350 lm/ft → general / under-cabinet.
  ~350–500+ lm/ft → high-output / task / signage.
• If you’re unsure, start around 150–250 lm/ft and use dimming.
• Always normalise spec sheets to lumens per foot (or metre) before comparing.
• For room planning, start from lumens per square foot and treat strips as one part of the total.
• Remember that CCT, CRI, density and optics can be the difference between harsh and comfortable light at the same lumen level.

If you apply those rules consistently, a LED strip lumens chart becomes a powerful, repeatable tool instead of a confusing block of numbers.